.22lr: Bersa vs. SR22

[seeker_two]

I'm looking for a .22lr semi-auto, primarily as an "understudy" gun for my XD9sc....but one small & light enough to be an occasional CCW or BUG. I had almost decided on the Bersa. 22lr when Ruger introduced the SR22. Now I'm torn b/t the two.....

Has anyone here handled/shot both of these? Which one would best meet my needs outlined above?

Thanks in advance.....

 

[Hansam]

Get both!

I've shot the Bersa .22 and fondled the SR22. I personally would go with the Ruger SR22 but I have to say the Bersa .22 was a VERY nice gun for the money.

Of course we're talking about two of my favorite non-1911 gun manufacturers so in my book either or is a go!

 

[9x19]

The Ruger seems to have a problem with the barrel screws backing out/not being or staying tight. See lots of posts about that on the Ruger Forum and others (GT, etc.)

The Bersa is an old design, but other than trigger pulls with a bit of creep, there isn't a lot of constant issues... spare mags can be harder to find.

 

[Hansam]

Easy fix for the screw issue - blue Loktite.

Mags for the Bersa .22 can be hard to find I agree... but its still a nice gun.

 

[tahunua001]

due to possible legal repercussions, this post has been edited to protect individuals involved.


one day Tahunua001 and Tahunua002 were out on the ***** with a coworker named Bubba. Bubba had brought his Bersa 22 and 100 rounds of CCI stingers so we could do some "pest control" while we worked. Well Bubba loaded up a mag and was barely able to hit a 18" wide tree stump at 15 feet. Tahunua002 laughed at him and slapped in a new mag just as one of said 100# pests came into view so he unloaded the whole magazine at 25 yards and hit nothing but dust, his response was that it was a garbage gun. Tahunua001 who is used to Tahunua002's claim that a gun is junk if he can't shoot it right loaded up another mag and tried his luck at a "18 inch octagon target" only 2 shots hit and they were on the outer edge at 20 yards. Tahunua001 was about to concur with Tahunua002's assessment when Bubba told him that he was a god with a pistol if he was able to hit that "18 inch octagon target" at 20 yards and that nobody had ever done that well with it in the past.

after that both of the Tahunuas decided that if that is the average accuracy of a bersa, we'd just stick to Tahunua002's 22/45 from now on.

 

[Hansam]

Bubba had brought his Bersa 22 and 100 rounds of CCI stingers so we could do some "pest control" while we worked. Well Bubba loaded up a mag and was barely able to hit a 18" wide tree stump at 15 feet. Tahunua002 laughed at him and slapped in a new mag just as one of said 100# pests came into view so he unloaded the whole magazine at 25 yards and hit nothing but dust, his response was that it was a garbage gun. Tahunua001 who is used to Tahunua002's claim that a gun is junk if he can't shoot it right loaded up another mag and tried his luck at a "18 inch octagon target" only 2 shots hit and they were on the outer edge at 20 yards. Tahunua001 was about to concur with Tahunua002's assessment when Bubba told him that he was a god with a pistol if he was able to hit that "18 inch octagon target" at 20 yards and that nobody had ever done that well with it in the past.

Odd - at 25 yds I was able to group 5-6" shooting slowly and without support with my Bersa 22 before I sold it. Not only that but I've seen other Bersas shoot that well too. Maybe you had a defective gun or maybe you shouldn't have been shooting at 100# pests with a .22 pistol?

 

[Sparks1957]

My Bersa is very accurate; could it have been the shooters' at fault in the post above?

 

[PSP]

... could it have been the shooters' at fault in the post above?

or the number of beers involved?

I think most people could shoot better than that with their eyes closed. While neither gun is a target gun, they are accurate enough.

 

[Marquezj16]

The Ruger seems to have a problem with the barrel screws backing out/not being or staying tight. See lots of posts about that on the Ruger Forum and others

This seemed to be the case with the early models that came out. I contacted Ruger CS and they stated they now torque down the scres to 55-65 inch lbs and solved the problem. I just tightened mine with a drop of blue loctite. Shot about 300+ rounds yesterday and it has not loosened up.

BTW, the SR22 is so easy to shoot. Sights are great for a small pistol. DA is ok, stacks a little. SA has a little slack but nice break, reset is not bad. Not the greatest but not bad. Accuracy is plenty good. Mine does not like Winchester ammo but will eat through the other brand ammo.

Sorry I can't comment on the Bersa. Only Bersa I've shot is a .380 Thunder? And no sir, I did not like it.

 

[aarondhgraham]

They are different in physical size,,,

primarily as an "understudy" gun for my XD9sc

In this case I would probably opt for the Ruger,,,
It's closer in physical size to the XD9sc.

The Thunder 22 is almost identical in size to the smaller Walther PPK.

I am a huge fan of the Bersa Thunder 22,,,
In fact just yesterday I took a friend out to the range.

We each ran more than 150 rounds through our T-22's,,,
Neither of us experienced a failure of any kind.

But while I do advocate the T-22 as a great shooter,,,
It's too much smaller than a XD9sc to be a proper understudy.

Aarond

.

 

[tahunua001]

sorry guys, beer was too hard to conceal so we didn't have it that trip...I dont know...maybe Bubba just had a defective gun.

 

[Cheapshooter]

maybe Bubba just had a defective gun.

Or Bubba's gun doesn't like Stingers! Guns can have a preference for different ammo. Not only in functioning, but accuracy as well. One stop sign shooting hillbilly's opinion doesn't count much for a legitimate review!

tried his luck at a "18 inch octagon target"

Such a great ambassador of the shooting sports!!!

primarily as an "understudy" gun for my XD9sc..

I haven't seen the Ruger up close and personal yet, but would guess it's ergonomics are closer to your XD. Just one thought.

 

[tahunua001]

hey, that's offensive. I prefer the term "18" octagon target shooting redneck or country boy

EDIT: the tales weaved today were also a long time ago, Tahunua001 has grown up a little since then.

 

[Cheapshooter]

hey, that's offensive. I prefer the term "18" octagon target shooting redneck or country boy

Irresponsibility with firearms isn't a laughing matter. We all have too much to lose!
But I don't want to dwell on your ignorance here, and ruin this important thread for the OP!

To the OP, I don't have a Bersa, or the new Ruger. I do have the very similar Walther P22 that is a lot of fun at the range. The Ruger is a big improvement on the Walther, and would make a good choice.

 

[9x19]

Saw another thread this morning about the SR22P's barrel screw.... and I agree lock-tite would go a long way to solving it.. and Ruger is responding well to the issue.

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1406003

The only thing I found on the Ruger I really didn't like was the safety is bass-ackward. Other than that and some teething pains, I'm sure it would serve just fine.

 

[tahunua001]

The only thing I found on the Ruger I really didn't like was the safety is bass-ackward.

one plus to the safety though would be that you wouldn't have to worry about accidentally engaging it if you shoot with a high grip.

 

[Papa John]

Big thumbs up for the Bersa Firestorm 22.
A real pleasure to shoot and quite accurate out to 50 yards.
I really love mine and it accompanies me nearly every time to the range.
John

 

[danez71]

I actually have both.

I posted this over at THR in mid Feb. I wrote this after spending only about 45 minutes of spur of the moment "I cant take it any more... I gotta shot the new sr22 I just bought". I wasnt out there to do a real comparision. Ijust wanted to blast some roounds through it and see what it was like. I also needed to destroy some computer disk hardware before I got rid of it and this gave me a good excuse to try my new SR22.

Sorry for the lack of info but I'm sure some will value it.

I bought a SR22 a couple weeks ago but just got a chance to shoot it. I also brought along my Firestorm/Bersa 22 (and a couple other toys too).

I did not clean the gun. I field stripped it and put 2 drops of oil on one slide and 1 drop of oil on the other slide.

I shot 200 rounds (limited amount of time) through the SR22 of the following:

180 of Federal 550 bulk pack 36 gr hollow point in the maroon box from Walmart. Zero failures of any kind.

10 CCI Blazer 40 gr lead round nose. Zero failures of any kind.

10 CCI Mini Mag 40 gr copper washed round nose. Zero failures of any kind.

These were all shot in a combo of rabid fire and slower deliberate shots but mostly rapid or fairly fast shots.

I didnt shoot for accuracy but I did hit a computer hard disk drive at approx 75 ft 1st shot, 3rd mag.

So far I'd say the Firestorm 22 has the better trigger but I have to give the SR22 a chance to catch up.

It seems like you need a little more 'umph' than you should to seat the mags but we'll see how that goes with time.

The slide of the SR22 is thicker than the Firestorm.

I'd guess the Firestorm grip is as thick/big or slightly thicker/bigger than the SR22 with the larger grip on. The Firestorm grip is surely bigger than the little SR22 grip.

I didnt directly compare sights but I think the SR22 dots are a little bigger and easier to pick up than the Firestorm.


Back ground: I was looking for a little 22lr and I've always loved the PPk styling so I bought the Firestorm through Davidsons gun genie ...sight unseen.... never shot one either.. only held a Bersa .380.

I like the Firestorm. It has shot Mini Mags and Blazers flawlessly for a total of about 1500 rounds. Decent trigger. Fairly accurate. Nice styling.

When my daughter bought the Federal 550 pack mentioned above, it became very hit or miss in terms of reliability. They just didnt cycle the slide well enough.


I decided to try the SR22 in part because Ruger says it willl shoot NON-high-velocity rounds reliably.

So far... they are right.

The Federal 550 bulk Maroon box 36 gr hollow points that choke in my Firestorm 22 ran flawlessly (180 rounds) through the SR22. Same box... side by side.... today.

While I really like the Firestorm .... the SR22 has already proven to be less picky with ammo. Further ammo and reliability testing is needed but I think its a winner for what it is.

There you have it.... a micro SR22 ranger report with a dash Firestorm 22 comparison thrown in too.

To answer the OP question, Ive never held a XD9sc but I would say the SR22 would be closer it than the Firestorm/Bersa 22. Take it for what its worth.